NBBI R Endorsement cheat sheet

The R stamp is issued by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors and authorizes repair and/or alteration of boilers and pressure vessels; it is separate from the ASME Code symbol stamps used for new construction.

An applicant must hold or concurrently obtain an appropriate ASME Code certificate of authorization (or hold a National Board authorization for a scope where ASME does not apply) before the R certificate is granted.

Accreditation requires a written quality control manual, a satisfactory review of that manual, and an on-site joint review by the National Board and the jurisdiction where the shop is located.

The R certificate is valid for a stated term (typically three years) and must be renewed before expiration; work performed under an expired certificate is not R-stamp work.

Scope matters: the certificate identifies the types of items the holder may repair or alter, and work outside that scope requires a scope change or a different authorization.

Name and address changes, ownership changes, or relocation of the shop require notification to the National Board and normally trigger a new review before the certificate is reissued.

The National Board maintains a public directory of R stamp holders; verifying a shop's current certificate status is part of due diligence before awarding repair work.

Loss of the underlying ASME certificate of authorization, or failure to correct nonconformities found at review, can result in suspension or withdrawal of the R certificate.

The holder must notify the National Board of any jurisdictional action, code violation, or change that affects the ability to perform compliant repairs.

Repair: work that restores an item to a safe and sound condition without changing its original design parameters (pressure, temperature, capacity, or service). Alteration: any change to those design parameters or to the item's configuration.

All repairs and alterations must be performed under the NBIC and, where applicable, the original code of construction; the NBIC governs the work rather than replacing the construction code.

Welded repairs require qualified welding procedures (WPS/PQR) and performance-qualified welders or welding operators under Section IX of the ASME Code.

Repairs to pressure-retaining items generally require post-weld heat treatment when the original construction code would have required it for the same thickness and material.

An alteration that changes design conditions requires re-rating calculations and, where the alteration affects the pressure-retaining boundary, the approval of the authorized inspector and often the jurisdiction.

The Authorized Inspector must be notified before the work begins and must inspect the completed repair or alteration, including any required nondestructive examination, before the R stamp is applied.

The R stamp is applied to the item's nameplate or to an attached plate along with the National Board registration number of the repair, the date, and the identifying data required by the NBIC.

Materials used in repairs must be traceable to mill test reports or other acceptable documentation, and substitutions require evaluation against the original design.

A repair or alteration record must be retained by the R stamp holder and made available to the inspector and to the National Board; the record documents the scope, materials, procedures, and inspection results.

The QC manual must be written, dated, and controlled; it defines the organizational structure, authority, and responsibility of the individuals performing and verifying repair work.

The manual must include a current organization chart and identify the person with overall authority for the quality program and the person responsible for code compliance.

Required manual content includes control of design inputs (for alterations), material control, welding control, NDE control, heat treatment, calibration of measuring and test equipment, and nonconformance control.

A documented training and qualification program must cover welders, welding operators, NDE personnel, and inspectors, with records retained and current.

The manual must describe how the Authorized Inspector is given access to the shop, to work in progress, and to records, and how hold points are established before the inspector's review.

Nonconformance and corrective action procedures must ensure that deficient items are identified, segregated where practical, evaluated, and dispositioned by qualified personnel.

Internal audits of the quality program must be performed at defined intervals by personnel not directly responsible for the activity being audited, with findings and corrective actions recorded.

Calibration records for measuring and test equipment must trace to recognized standards and show the next due date; out-of-calibration instruments require evaluation of prior measurements.

Document and record control must ensure that only current procedures are in use at the point of work and that superseded documents are removed or clearly marked.

The R-1 form (Report of Repair or Alteration) is the standard data report used to document R-stamp work, and it must be completed and signed by the R stamp holder and the Authorized Inspector.

The R-1 form captures the item identification, the nature of the repair or alteration, the code and NBIC edition used, materials, and the results of required examinations.

A National Board registration number is assigned to each repair or alteration and must appear on the R-1 form and on the stamping applied to the item.

The completed R-1 form must be distributed to the owner or user, the Authorized Inspector, and the National Board, with a copy retained by the R stamp holder.

Registration with the National Board is required for repairs and alterations to items that are registered, and the holder is responsible for submitting the data report in the required manner and timeframe.

Inspection hold points must be defined in the QC manual so that the Authorized Inspector can verify fit-up, welding, heat treatment, and NDE before the item is closed out or returned to service.

NDE results, heat treatment charts, and material certifications are supporting records that must be traceable to the specific R-1 report and retained with it.

Any revision to a previously submitted R-1 report must be documented as a revision, with the reason stated, and distributed to the same recipients as the original.

The Authorized Inspector's signature on the R-1 form attests that the repair or alteration was performed in accordance with the applicable code and the NBIC, not that the item is fit for a particular service.